More Family Fun in Burlington!

Day 2

After a great sleep at the Waterfront Hotel our friendly driver Don picked us up and drove to Beach Life Forever. He was the person who got us everywhere we needed to go on our first day on this adventure too. I love having someone drive me to the airport – I will definitely call Airways Transit the next time we take a trip.

There is something so satisfying about spending quiet time on the beach early in the morning. The slight breeze, the rising sun, the feel of sand between your toes and the gentle sound of the waves. I loved this experience. Lake Ontario has always had a magical pull on me.

When we arrived at Burlington Beach Rentals, I was worried we’d be in the water trying out some Stand Up Paddle-boarding. I don’t mind the water, and I really want to try SUP, but on that day it was a bit chilly.

It was all good that day. Very calming and energizing.

Instead it was decided we’d do yoga on the beach. This was my first time in a long time doing yoga – and the first time ever doing it on the beach. It was amazing. I felt connected to the planet. Sounds hokey I know but it’s true. The water is so soothing. I will do this again!

This company has amazing social media presence. They update the weather and water conditions daily and seem to have so many excellent ideas for new things to do. I get the sense that they really love their jobs. Such a fun group of people!

Lunch was next on our agenda and it was planned for Springridge Farm. Located amongst the hills of Milton on the Niagara Escarpment, this extremely clean and colourful farm has many activities for kids of all ages including a huge pumpkin patch. Students can plant their pumpkin seeds in the spring and pick them straight from the patch in the fall. There is an area for kids in the Fun Farm Yard with a farm animal petting area, farm styled playground, slides, a puppet show and a cooling down place.

Farmer John was a terrific host and tour guide. Here he is telling us about the queen bee that was brought in from Australia.

Springridge Farms was named for a natural spring running through it. Two spring fed ponds ensure the crops are always hydrated. The farm prepares and serves meals in the 19th century barn. On this visit, I had a ploughman’s style lunch. I was so delighted with the fruit bread that I bought a loaf for home. Oh and they have they delicious salted honey tarts… My newest obsession. I even drove back to Springridge farms the next weekend to pick up some more.

So delicious! Ploughman’s Lunch and Salted Honey Tarts

Springridge Farm is the kind of place you can take your families to, and go back time after time. The festivals are intriguing too – this year they had a food truck festival! If I lived any closer I’d certainly be at their farm market, cafe and bakery weekly.

For a step WAY back in time, we visited the 15th century Iroquoian village within the Crawford Lake Conservation Area. This village has been reconstructed by historians to show us how the original Canadians lived, raised families and were one with the land so many centuries ago. The museum houses artifacts found in this area and the long houses have hides, tools and smoky fire to help you understand the daily experiences of village life.

A video in the information centre showed us the history of the area and introduced us to Crawford Lake. I had never heard of this naturally occurring phenomena before. It is a meromictic lake. This means that the lake is deeper than the surface area and halfway down, there ceases to be oxygen in the water. This causes the sediment and whatever else is on the bottom to not decay. Artifacts of the pioneers and Iroquois are perfectly preserved. There is also a story that while harvesting ice with a horse and cart, the horse broke through the ice and is in the lake still, preserved.

The walk down to the lake took maybe 15 minutes and was quite lovely with wood sculptures along the way.

It was so still when I was there. I kept thinking about the horse at the bottom until the view lulled me. It was so peaceful. At the shoreline you could see little fish flashing in the light. A really nice place.

Hi! My name is Carin.

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I love to share what I learn about interesting things and write about lots of 'stuff' including places to visit, eat, and play. You'll also find things related to my family. I guess you could call this a 'blog' but I prefer to think of it as my online journal. Feel free to look around and if you have any comments or an idea about something you'd like me to write about, give me a shout! I'm always looking for new opportunities. Have an eclectic day! (Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.)